ACCIONA Living & Culture, a leading creator of technology-driven interactive museums, exhibits, and events, in collaboration with the Prado National Museum, has designed and produced a virtual reality experience for a global audience, titled ART MASTERS: A Virtual Reality Experience.
This experience allows visitors to engage with iconic pieces from the Prado Museum’s collection through virtual reality glasses. It premiered at the global NEXT IN Summit in Madrid on 23 and 24 April, and next it will travel to China for exhibitions in Shanghai and Chengdu in June and July 2025.
New ways to explore masterpieces
In an imaginary museum, guests can explore five significant masterpieces from the Prado Museum’s collection, immersing themselves in a realm that blends the real with the dreamlike while uncovering the secrets concealed within the paintings.
Through a meticulous academic curatorship, the exhibition combines three-dimensional environments with an engaging narrative that animates the paintings and figures, encouraging a deeper connection with their symbolism and significance.
During the visit, each viewer will enjoy the evocative beauty of The Sense of Sight (Jan Brueghel and Rubens, 1617) and Las Meninas (Velázquez, 1656), and then plunge into the mythological drama of Venus and Adonis (Veronese, c. 1580). Next, they will be transported to the haunting atmosphere of El Aquelarre (Goya, 1820-23), which takes them to the Quinta del Sordo house, where the painter created his enigmatic Black Paintings.
The experience will culminate in the surreal and symbolic world of The Garden of Earthly Delights (Bosch, 1490-1500), a work that captures the fascination and wonder of humanity.
The exhibition’s narrative thread is the story of a museum security guard on his final day of work, a fictional character who leads the viewer through this virtual journey. The virtual reality experience is framed by two physical spaces: an introduction to the Prado Museum and a concluding interactive area that strengthens the connection to the exhibition.
Under the academic curatorship of Alejandro Vergara, who leads the Conservation of Flemish Painting and Northern Schools at the Prado Museum, the exhibition showcases original materials from the museum, ensuring the highest fidelity and quality in representing its valuable collection.
ART MASTERS: A Virtual Reality Experience has been supported by TDG Holding Co., a prominent technology company based in China.
ACCIONA Living & Culture also recently released The Ultimate Museum Book. This brings together findings from research conducted at over 150 institutions worldwide to share sustainability best practices.
